Australia's Amateur Hour

Australia's Amateur Hour was an important early Australian radio and television program in the form of a talent contest, which was broadcast from 1940 to 1958,[1] which also aired briefly on television from 1957 to 1958.

Australia's Amateur Hour
GenreTalent contest, variety entertainment
Presented by
(Dear hosted both the radio and television version)
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
Production
Production locationsHomebush West, Sydney
Release
Original network
Picture format625 lines
Audio formatMono
Original release
  • Radio: 1940 (1940) - 1958 (1958)
  • Television: August 1957 (1957-08) - 1958 (1958)

The radio version was originally compered by radio producer Harry Dearth,[2] then by Dick Fair, and finally by Terry Dear (1913-1995). It was a popular, long-running program on which many performers appeared.

The television version was compered by Terry Dear, and ran from August 1957[3] to February 1958. It aired on the Nine Network (TCN-9) and the Seven Network (HSV-7).

The success of the radio version didn't translate to television, with the television version closing after only seven months, and the radio version shortly thereafter.

Episode status

Some episodes of the radio version are held by the National Film & Sound Archive.[4] Although the television version was kinescoped so it could be shown in both Sydney and Melbourne, it is not known if any such recordings still exist today.

See also

References
  1. "Dearth, Fair, Dear in Closing Amateur Hour Presentation". Radio and Television Supplement. The Age. 7 November 1958. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  2. Combe, Diana R. (1993). "Dearth, Henry Alan (Harry) (1908–1964)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 13. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  3. Musgrove, Nan (7 August 1957). "Television Parade". Australian Women's Weekly. p. 10. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  4. "AUSTRALIA'S AMATEUR HOUR". National Film & Sound Archive. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.


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